


Can't Help Falling in Love

by hatsuyuume (colorthefall)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Human AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-05 12:28:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4179879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colorthefall/pseuds/hatsuyuume
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He knew that if he didn’t act soon, he would lose contact with the very person who had quickly become his very favorite being in the universe to be with and to listen to. With a sigh, Alfred set his guitar down once again and grabbed hold of his notepad, reading over the lyrics and notes he’d written once more before shutting it and sliding underneath his mattress. He rolled over into it and curled himself up in the sheets in preparation of sleep, but giddiness was overwhelming his being, and he couldn’t sleep even if he tried to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Can't Help Falling in Love

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Just a quick, fluffy story about a serenade ♪  
> Song; I Can't Help Falling in Love with You by Elvis Presley  
> My only warnings are that it may be OOC and it's extremely fluffy and cheesy. I guess it's kind of a song fic, but not really. because I didn't base it off of the song or anything, I just included it in there.   
> **Also, Alfred is in his second year of high school but is described as a freshman because there's only 3 years of Japanese high school, so even though he's a sophomore in the US, he's a freshman in Japan.

Alfred set his large acoustic guitar to the side after what felt like hours of alternating between plucking the strings with his bare fingers and scribbling down music notes and song lyrics in his notepad.

Finally, he was finished.

He had the song that it would take to win his crush’s heart.

Sure, he was already in his final year of high school, and Alfred had just finished his second. But a modest age difference and different colored ties and shoes weren’t enough to keep Alfred from falling immediately for his suave senpai.

Redness stained the freshman’s cheeks as the thought came to his mind, sending his calloused and slightly bloodied hands scrambling for his guitar.

Once it was in his lap, he draped one arm over the face and clasped its neck with his other hand, letting his cerulean gaze befall the black sky outside of his bedroom window, instantly captivated by the glittering white studs plastered to it.

Those stars somehow reminded him once more of the object of his affections. The stars were a lot like the silvery white buttons on the other’s school blazer, after all, so it was only a matter of time before Alfred’s love-addled mind made the connection, however stretched out that connection may be. He had a talent for relating near everything he saw back to _him_ , whose name he was too embarrassed to even think much less say out loud, no matter how sweetly it tasted on his lips. 

Alfred had only known his crush for just shy of a school year, and the room he was sitting in was everything but everlasting, as it was only provided to him by his host family. He had studied Japanese all throughout middle school in preparation for this single school year abroad, and had had the best time he could have ever dreamed of at his school. He was quite popular with his peers, who commended him for skills in the language and for hardly having an accent when he spoke it along with his excellent manners and grammar, but he hadn’t managed to progress past a shallow acquaintanceship with any of them.

He focused all of his social endeavors around _him;_  his senpai.

Thinking of him again, his heart skipped a beat.

 “Kiku.” he whispered to no one, a rare, bashful smile spreading across his heated face.

Dark brown- nearly black hair, perpetually glinting eyes with a warmth reminiscent of the morning sun, pale yet creamy skin so often tinged red by his inherent inhibition…

Maybe he wasn’t the most _suave_ senpai there was… but he sure did seem so at first. But once Alfred got to be around him more often, he learned that his crush was sort of ditzy and very clumsy, often becoming so absorbed in their conversation that he had run face-first into walls and poles and other people’s backs on several occasions.

Kiku was always so kind to him, having been the one to show him around on his very first day considering his host family’s only children were not of senior high school age. Soft-spoken, calm, mysterious… so different from what Alfred was himself. The differences endeared him to Kiku, though.

He wanted to learn everything he could about him.

He wanted to be more like him.

He hadn’t learned too much, what with Kiku being such a reserved individual. Nothing past his affinity for video games, traditional festivals and ceremonies, and that he could literally talk for hours upon hours about food…  and that it was his last year of school before university, of course.

The smile fell from Alfred’s face as he was reminded of the fleeting nature of his life in the city and the relationships he’d forged while there.

The date for Alfred to return to the States was fast-approaching. If he didn’t act soon, would lose contact with the very person who had quickly become his very favorite being in the universe to be with and to listen to.

With a sigh, Alfred set his guitar down once again and grabbed hold of his notepad, reading over the lyrics and notes he’d written once more before shutting it and sliding it underneath his mattress. He rolled over and curled himself up in the sheets in preparation of sleep, but giddiness was overwhelming his being, so he couldn’t sleep even if he tried to.

The morning came again on the last weekend he’d be spending in Japan, and Alfred, expectedly, was too tired to even move. He had made it through the whole night distracting himself from sleeping by acting out impossible scenarios with he and his beloved Kiku in his mind.

He rolled over onto his side finally, falling asleep with his face bathed in the warmth of the sunlight.

 

                                                                                                                         *

 

Alfred didn’t stir again until his host mother finally decided it was time for him to wake up.

She shook him gently, whispering his name until his eyes finally opened to gaze upon a dimly-lit room, much unlike the bright one filled with sunlight that he’d drifted off in.

“Oh my god, what time is it?” he breathed out apprehensively, his voice hoarse and his vision blurred as he sat up from his pillow and rubbed at his eyes.

“It’s nearly ten pm. I would have woken you sooner but you were up so late last ni-“ the woman began, but was promptly cut short by Alfred scrambling out of his bed, panic surging through his veins.

“Ah, I’m so sorry I can’t talk right now! I was supposed to be somewhere hours ago!” Alfred spluttered all in one breath, starting toward the hallway. But as soon as he set his sock-clad foot down on a smooth, hard-wood surface and charged forward, he lost his footing and fell chest-first with a groan of pain, his host mother looking on, too stunned to react or question Alfred’s motives.

He gathered himself to a sitting position, his face flushed with embarrassment as he tore off his socks to prevent any further accidents, before he stood again, ready to bolt out of the house through the front door before it occurred to him that he couldn’t very well serenade Kiku without his guitar.  

“Agh, I bet he’s sleeping by now.” he cried out, panicked as he ran back into his room and grabbed his guitar from the floor, sliding the strap over his shoulder. He ran back to the front door and finally left after haphazardly slipping on his sneakers, letting the door slam behind him.

Gentle drops of rain fell upon his skin as he ran, blind in the night without his glasses, guided by street lamps and moon beams. All the while, his heart pounded in his chest.

What if Kiku reacted badly to the impromptu jam session Alfred was about to have on his front lawn?

Chances were low, because Kiku was so polite and considerate that even if he didn’t appreciate the song, Alfred would never know, and even if he rejected him… again, Alfred would never know, because it would be so gentle and sweet and reassuring that it wouldn’t sound like a rejection at all. And Alfred would have no chance to dwell on it, as he would be leaving for his home in the States the next day. What did he have to fear?

He smiled faintly as he approached the street Kiku lived on, walking more slowly and sliding his guitar around to rest on his chest. Even though he couldn’t see much without his glasses, he knew he was on the right street because after school, the two boys would alternate between walking the other to their home. Alfred had memorized every corner and every crack in the sidewalk.  He busied himself with tuning his guitar, humming the song he had written under his breath before it occurred to him that he couldn’t remember the lyrics.

“Ah, I’ll just get the notepad out and read it over real quick.” he murmured to himself as he turned the final corner to Kiku’s house and found himself standing just outside of his bedroom window. He smiled as he looked up and the light was still on, and he could even see the other’s shadow past the curtains, probably doing some last minute studying or homework before sleep at his desk.

Alfred held his guitar in one hand and dug through is pockets with the other, still humming to himself all the while. But panic quickly began to overwhelm when he couldn’t for the life of him finding the notepad in any of his pockets.

“NO. This isn’t happening!” he cried under his breath, his hands beginning to tremble as he practically spun around his circles and frantically searched through his pockets for the song lyrics.

He froze and stared at his feet when he heard the sound of Kiku opening his bedroom window.

The elder teen looked rested one hand on his windowsill, the other holding the window up as he stared down into the darkness until he was able to make out the figure of his kouhai.

“Alfred-kun?” he called out to him. “I thought heard someone out here… wheezing.”

Alfred was indeed hyperventilating, he just hadn’t realized he was, and how loud he was doing so. His plan was completely ruined. There was nothing left to do now, was there?

He could have cried if not for the sweet smile on his crush’s face that he could recognize even in the darkness and even without his glasses on; he loved it so much, every time Kiku smiled, he’d take a mental picture and store away for safe-keeping.

“H-hi, Kiku…”  Alfred called up to him, his voice crackling slightly. He cleared his throat and tried not to seem too nervous as he gripped the neck of his guitar. “I just… well, it’s my last night here, so I thought…”

“Yes. I came by your host-family’s home earlier today. I wanted to spend time with you, but your host-mother said you were sleeping and I didn’t want to disturb you.” Kiku explained himself, still grinning brightly. “So I was going to surprise you by accompanying you to the airport tomorrow morning.”

“R-really?” Alfred felt his entire face flushing, his whole body paralyzed. Kiku was going to surprise him? He was going to spend his last day with him? He felt so touched. 

“Why don’t you come inside? You could stay the night.” Kiku offered cheerily, but Alfred shook his head furiously, the other’s words giving him the confidence to carry on with his performance.

“No! I mean, yes! But not right now! I have to do something!”

“Okay. Go on.” Kiku laughed, looking down at Alfred and waiting for him to carry on with whatever it was he was planning to do.

Alfred didn’t remember the lyrics to his own song, so he decided that the first word that came to mind would suffice and began lightly strumming the strings of his guitar.

Only a few notes in and Kiku was captivated by the other’s song, instantly recognizing it. His eyes grew wide and his own face began to flush, the smiling fading into a look of astonishment.

“Wise men say; ‘ _Only fools rush in_ ’. But I can’t help….” Alfred paused, biting his lips before he willed himself to go on. “… _falling in love with you._ ”

“Shall I stay? Would it be a sin? If I can’t help, _falling in love with you_.”

Alfred closed his eyes, his heart thudding against his chest with such force that he was sure it would break free. He took deep breaths, trying to keep his composure so his voice would sound decent enough to finish singing.  He was about to start again, but was caught off guard by the sound of another instrument mimicking the tune he was playing could be heard from up above.

Opening his eyes, he could see Kiku sitting on the edge of his windowsill with one leg hanging out of it and the other planted on the floor, holding a tiny instrument that Alfred could not identify, but from the upbeat tune, he guessed it was an ukulele.

“Like a river flows surely to the sea,” Kiku sang, glancing down at Alfred from the corner of his eye before returning his gaze to his instrument. “Darling so it goes; some things are meant to be.”

Alfred couldn’t believe what was happening, and thought for a moment he was dreaming. But then again, every moment he spent with Kiku felt like a dream. They played perfectly in tune with one another, and at the same time, they both sung;

  
“ _Take my hand, take my whole life, too_  
_For I can’t help falling in love with you._  
_Wise men say; ‘Only fools rush in’._  
_But I can’t help falling in love with you_ ”

  
On the final note, they locked eyes, both completely in a trance.

The space between them grew silent, and all that could be heard was the beating of their hearts.

Finally, after a few moments, Kiku spoke.

“Stay right there.”

Alfred was about to respond when Kiku disappeared from the windowsill, leaving his instrument behind. He waited in silence, setting his guitar down at his feet and covering his face with his hands as he tried to compose himself but failed miserably. Kiku had sung with him, played with him, smiled at him… did it mean what he thought it did? It felt too good to be true.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of the front door slowly creaking open and shoes crunching crisp grass as Kiku made his way through the lawn and toward Alfred, whose hands were still covering his face.

The elder of the two stood before Alfred, his face expressionless as he grasped the other’s wrists and pulled his hands away from his face. Alfred didn’t open his eyes and immediately looked downward as Kiku let go of his wrists, but just as quickly cupped either of Alfred’s cheeks and forced him to look upward.

He pressed their lips together.

Both bodies relaxed as soon as the contact was made. Both hearts began to beat in unison, just as their owners had played their instruments in tune moments earlier.

When they broke away from their kiss, they immediately embraced one another and stood there, swaying gently back and forth for what felt like an eternity.

 

                                                                                                                         *

 

Alfred stood at his airport terminal the following morning, hand in hand with Kiku. 

He had said his goodbyes to his host family and went to the airport with his crush- or rather, his boyfriend, after staying the night curled up in his bed and wrapped in his arms.

Hanging off of Alfred’s shoulder was a tiny guitar case that held inside of it Kiku’s ukulele, as the two had decided to swap instruments to remember each other by, and they’d switch back when they next saw each other.

“I’ll miss you, Alfred.” Kiku whispered, giving the other’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I wish you could stay longer.” he added, smiling faintly to mask his sadness. If only the two had confessed their feelings for each other sooner, then they would have had more time together…

“I’ll be back! I promise.” Alfred exclaimed, letting go of Kiku’s hand and throwing his arms around the other’s torso, sweetly nuzzling against his chest.

Kiku smiled genuinely that time, placing a gentle kiss on Alfred’s forehead.

“I will hold you to that.” he giggled, relaxing, but just as soon tensing up again as the last call for Alfred’s flight sounded over the intercom. Alfred picked up his backpack and slid it on after begrudgingly letting go of Kiku, turning back to him again and immediately finding himself in a tender kiss with him.

“I love you.” Kiku whispered as he pulled away, blushing furiously.

“I love you, too.” Alfred replied, biting his lip. He felt tears welling up in his eyes; saying goodbye was the last thing he wanted to do...

Kiku took off the other’s glasses for him and wiped away his tears with his thumbs, smiling.

“I’ll see you soon, Alfred… call me when you get home.” he stated, kissing him one last time.

Alfred nodded, but only moved when his boyfriend gave him a gentle push in the right direction.

Even on the plane, as it soared high above the city he had grown to love so dearly, Alfred still cried, holding Kiku's ukulele in his lap and strumming it gently, whispering the words of the song they'd sung together to calm himself down. 

" _Like a river flows surely to the sea_  
_Darling so it goes; some things are meant to be_  
_Take my hand, take my whole life, too_  
_For I can't help falling in love with you_  
_For I can't help falling in love with you_ "


End file.
